Sheavy
Sheavy are a band from Canada, active since 1994. Best known for a blend of stoner and doom along with Steve Hennessey's distinctive vocals that draw similarity to one Ozzy Osbourne though their sound has evolved into psychedelic and desert rock territories. Since their inception the band has went on to release ten studio albums (Three of which through Rise Above Records and the rest on their own label Dallas Tarr) and performed largely in Canada and Europe (Though the band will perform in North America for the first time in 2017.). History Formed in St. John's, Newfoundland Canada in the summer of 1993, sHEAVY was originally intended to be little more than a sideline project for guitarist Dan Moore and drummer Ren Squires. Comprised of Dan Moore (guitar), Sterling Robertson (guitar), Paul Grouchy (bass), Ren Squires (drums) and Steve Hennessey (vocals), the band initially took the name Green Machine (After a classic Kyuss song) and would go on to perform and record under that name for almost a year. Determined to overcome a somewhat unreceptive local audience, the group began getting it's original material on tape almost immediately and looked not only to incite fan interest in North America but in Europe as well. By the time the bands first independent recording was released, 1994's Reproduction E.P, the lineup had shrunk to a quartet with the departure of guitarist Sterling Robertson. While little more than a four-track demo, the Reproduction E.P clearly demonstrated not only the bands diverse influences but it's future direction as well. Shortly after the release of the E.P it was decided to change the name of the band to sHEAVY in order to avoid any potential conflict with the already established American group Green Machine. By the fall of 1994 the group had completed recording their second demo entitled Slaves to Fashion. Consisting of both new and old material, Slaves to Fashion marked a clear turning point for the band in terms of fan attention and recognition. Relying totally on mail order and drummer Ren Squires' international network of friends, news of the demo spread and with it came a small but dedicated following. The Slaves to Fashion recording sessions also churned out material that would be released on vinyl in the autumn of 1995. The sHEAVY 7" released by Montreal based Mag Wheel Records featured two original tracks and a cover of Black Sabbath's "Tomorrow's Dream". Equally well received, the 7" was picked up by both American and European distributors who seemed impressed by the bands Sabbath meets Kyuss meets the 1970's kind of style. In the summer of 1995 the band completed recording for it's first full length CD entitled Blue Sky Mind. A totally independent production, the CD was not officially released until 1996. Shortly after recording had finished for the CD, bass player Paul Grouchy left the group. Continuing to play live with a number of temporary replacements, the position remained vacant until January 1996 when Keith Foley joined the band. Released in May 1996 to many positive reviews, Blue Sky Mind continued where Slaves to Fashion and the 7" left off. Heavily blues influenced but at the same time inspired by the likes of Sabbath, Monster Magnet and Kyuss, the CD only furthered the bands good fortunes both locally and internationally. In March 1997 the band was offered a record contract by British indie doom label Rise Above Records with the band mostly touring around Canada at the time.sHEAVY via Wayback MachineAccessed 29 August 2017 Into the next year the band would put out two releases: A split with Church of Misery on Game Two Records and their second studio album The Electric Sleep which gained substantial critical praise, especially from Kerrang! The band would tour Europe for the first time that same year, appearing at Dynamo Festival and sharing one-off dates with Blue Oyster Cult and Orange Goblin.sHEAVY via Wayback Machine 1998Accessed 29 August 2017 sHEAVY would not perform again for two years, concentrating on their their third studio album Celestial Hi-Fi, released on 15 May 2000. sHEAVY would perform live on 28 December that year.sHEAVY via Wayback MachineAccessed 29 August 2017 sHEAVY would hibernate in Alberta, Canada and then go to Belgium to record their fourth album Synchronized, released in 2002. sHEAVY would then follow with an album and live DVD entitled Republic? three years later in their final release on Rise Above, with the band's first tour of Eastern Canada in late 2005sHEAVY via Wayback MachineAccessed 29 August 2017 and a short European tour in 2006.sHEAVY via Wayback MachineAccessed 29 August 2017 The band's sixth album The Machine That Won The War saw release in 2007 to positive reviews. The band would only play sporadic shows while they remained in the studio. In April 2009, original guitarist Dan Moore resigned from the band and announced his decision to the band's Facebook fan group - both via email. 2010 saw sHEAVY release two albums with the intent of releasing three. The band enlisted guitarist Chris White on guitar and premiered the new guitarist and new material at local St. John's venue Distortion in October 2009. Recording began on a forthcoming album, Disfigurine, roughly around the same period. Prior to its completion, though, the band took up the RPM challenge, which invites musicians to record a whole album of music, 10 songs or 35 minutes. The end result was an album entitled The Golden Age of Daredevils which was released in late May 2010 and included songs written by the new lineup as well as material written by Dan Moore prior to his departure. The album Disfigurine was later released in August 2010. Featuring a more metal style and some of the longest songs the band had ever written, Disfigurine pointed to a number of stylistic changes for the band. A third album entitled The Best of Sheavy: A Misleading Collection would be postponed at the time until 2011.Sheavy via Wayback MachineAccessed 29 August 2017 Lineup changes would leave the band undeterred as they would release Moons of Penumbra in 2013 and the Misleading Collection the following year. sHEAVY would finally tour the United States in 2017 as the headlining act in Tour of the Doomed, an eight-day touring festival curated by Days of The Doomed. Discography Studio Albums * Blue Sky Mind (1996, Dallas Tarr) * The Electric Sleep (1998, Rise Above Records) * Celestial Hi-Fi (2000, Rise Above Records) * Synchronized (2002, Rise Above Records) * Republic? (2005, Rise Above Records) * The Machine That Won the War (2007, Dallas Tarr) * Golden Age of Daredevils (2010, Dallas Tarr) * Disfigurine (2010, Dallas Tarr) * Moons in Penumbra (2013, Dallas Tarr) * The Best of Sheavy: A Misleading Collection (2014, Dallas Tarr) Misc. Releases * Reproduction (Demo; As Green Machine) (1993, Independent) * Slaves To Fashion (Demo) (1994, Independent) * Dalas Tar (7" Single) (1995, Dallas Tarr) * Born Too Late (Split with Church of Misery) (1998, Game Two Records) * Republic Live at the Masonic Temple (DVD) (2005, Rise Above Records) Members Current Lineup * Steve Hennessey - Vocals (1994 - Present) * Jason Williams - Drums (2008 - Present) * Evan Chalker - Guitars (2008 - Present) * Glenn Tizzard - Bass (2012 - Present) Former Members * Paul Gruchy - Bass (1994 - 1996) * Ren Squires - Drums (1994 - 2004) * Dan Moore - Guitars (1994 - 2009) * Stirling Robertson - Guitars (1994) * Keith Foley - Bass (1996 - 2012) * Kevin Dominic - Drums (2004 - 2008) * Tommy Boland - Guitars (2005 - 2008) * Chris White - Guitars (2009 - 2012) * Barry Peters - Rhythm Guitar (2013 - 2014) External Links *Official Page References Category:Band Category:Canada Category:Stoner Metal Category:Doom Metal Category:St. John's Category:Newfoundland Category:Psychedelic Rock Category:Stoner Rock Category:Desert Rock Category:1994 Category:Rise Above Records Category:The Music Cartel